Racist graffiti sparks protest at UC Santa Cruz

Tovin Lapan - Santa Cruz Sentinel

SANTA CRUZ ---- UC Santa Cruz, students and faculty held an
impromptu rally Friday after graffiti was discovered Thursday in a
Cowell College men's bathroom that read "Stop the Invasion" and
threatened Mexicans.

The incident comes at a time when a student group has been
championing an ethnic studies program and other changes to
incorporate more courses that address cultural and racial issues
into the curriculum.

Students say racist and bigoted graffiti is a persistent problem
on campus. In March, graffiti was found in another men's room that
contained swastikas and threatened violence. A student group that
is organizing for an ethnic studies program has been chronicling
racist graffiti found on campus on its blog,
ucscethnicstudies.wordpress.com.

"Every year there is racist graffiti found," said UCSC
third-year student Eugene Negrete. "One of the biggest problems in
2011 is that people believe we've reached a post-racial society.
Diversity is still an issue, lack of access and opportunities for
education are still an issue."

A group of about 50 students, staff and faculty gathered outside
the UCSC administrative offices at Kerr Hall around noon on Friday
to reiterate demands for the university to do more to address
intolerance and racism on campus.

Vice Chancellor Alison Galloway heard the complaints and
suggestions from the group outside Kerr Hall before responding.

"First of all, I want to apologize profoundly for this writing,"
said Galloway, who was slightly choked up and struggled to get her
words out at first. "I'm shocked and horrified that this would
exist on campus.

"Our response has not been sufficient to stop this, and I
apologize for that as well. I am open to solutions."

One student suggested a town hall meeting covering racism on
campus, an idea Galloway supported.

Students, and some faculty members, say Thursday's graffiti is a
prime example of how the administration's letters condemning such
acts and campus forums on diversity and racism are not enough to
tackle the problem.

"Ethnic studies is what we want," Student Union Assembly Chair
Tiffany Dena-Loftin said. "You can't catch the person who did the
graffiti. The question we need to ask is: What are we doing to
educate people?

"Education happens in a classroom where you have assignments and
structured learning, it's not a one-time workshop or some movie on
intolerance," she said.

The administration has expressed support for an ethnic studies
program in the past, but it is up to the faculty to draw up the
proposal and ultimately approve any changes to the curriculum.

UCSC assistant professor of literature Christine Hong addressed
the crowd, informing them that a faculty working group had met
Thursday to discuss an ethnic studies proposal.

"You guys have shifted the tide. The faculty is on board," Hong
said to a loud cheer.

After a gathering at Kerr Hall the protesters marched through
campus, passing a wide-eyed group on a campus tour and picking up
more supporters along the way.

The protesters snaked their way through campus past Quarry Plaza
and arrived at Cowell College, where students entered the dining
hall and gave speeches asking for support and campus unity to the
startled diners.

"These despicable comments are taken seriously," Cowell College
Provost Faye Crosby said. "I think we need to focus less on
punishing the offender, and focus more on building a stronger
community."

Inside the Cowell College dining hall some of the diners engaged
in the rally and participated in chants, while others became
visibly uncomfortable as protest leaders attempted to engage them
in conversation.

Crosby, addressing the cafeteria crowd, said "the outside media
will want to represent UCSC as a place with strong racial
divisions," before asking everyone in the room to stand up to
symbolize a united front against racism.

The vast majority in the dining room did stand, but a handful of
students remained seated, arms crossed.

UCSC Police are investigating the graffiti incident as a hate
crime, according to UCSC spokesman Jim Burns.

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(c) 2011, Santa Cruz Sentinel (Santa Cruz).

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